Once we finished clearing the excess clutter out of our home, the next step was to determine how to maximize the value of our home. We felt that our house needed some updating in order to get the best possible price. In true HSP fashion, I spent a lot of time researching which improvements would give us the best return. We decided to update the kitchen and carpeting, paint all of the rooms, and hire a handyman for general repairs.

We knew it would be difficult to find qualified, reliable people who would do the work in a timely manner and within our budget. Having owned a service business, I know how challenging and essential it is to find the right people for the job. Since I have had problems in the past, I have a lot of trepidation whenever I have to hire someone new. Like most HSPs, I have high expectations and dislike conflict, so my anxiety levels tend to soar at the start of a project. Will this person be right for the job? How will we handle issues that come up?

In order to get all of this work done, it was clear that I would have to leave my comfort zone. I would have to make a lot of decisions about things I’m not an expert on, and I’d have to persistently seek help to make sure our needs were met. Ugh! My wife felt pretty much the same way. As much as we dreaded the process, we reminded ourselves why we were doing this. We focused on the end result, which was to live closer to our daughter. Anytime you’re faced with a difficult task, you definitely have to give yourself a powerful reason/reasons to keep moving forward.

The first thing we did was asked around for recommendations on a handyman. When we didn’t have much luck with that, we took our search to the internet. We found someone with good ratings, and after meeting him in person, we felt that he was the right person. Unfortunately, we were VERY wrong, and it was a total disaster!

Our worst fears were realized, but we forced ourselves to soldier on. We knew we would never reach our goals if we allowed ourselves to be derailed by speed bumps. Luckily, my wife was able to get a recommendation from an acquaintance she met in a class she was taking. This person fit the bill and could work with our schedule. The situation wasn’t without its problems, but it worked out.

The next step was to get a painter, preferably one with a crew that could get the job done quickly. It took some asking around, but we got a great referral and were happy with the results. With the walls painted, our next project was to replace carpeting. The salesperson who sold us the carpeting was very nice and seemed knowledgeable, so I asked her if she could recommend a contractor to help us with the kitchen.

She put us in contact with an excellent contractor. He was business savvy and had many connections with all kinds of vendors that we would need. He helped us with our plan and was able to work within our time frame and budget. This person seemed to fall right out of the sky! Because he could hook us up with excellent people, we were much more relaxed about this big project. He did an amazing job, and our kitchen plan was implemented in a way that exceeded our expectations!

One of the key takeaways from all of this was…If you’re serious about a goal, the most important qualities you can have are persistence and faith. We had some trouble in the beginning, but we didn’t give up. We KEPT on asking and searching and interviewing until we found the right people. Whenever we found someone reliable and helpful, our confidence would increase, and we would ask that person for recommendations. We had faith that we would succeed. We got to a point where it seemed like whenever we needed someone, they would magically to appear! It was an amazing experience and definitely the last thing we expected! We also felt that the momentum we had was a sign that we were on the right path!

How do you motivate yourself when you have to leave your comfort zone? Have you ever experienced a situation where everything seemed to just fall in place? If so, were you surprised? How did you react to it? I’m interested in any thoughts or comments that you have.

The next post, (10) Selling our Home: Taking the Road Less Traveled, is about the process we used to sell our house.

About Cliff’s Big Move Series: In this series of blog posts, I chronicle a really “Big Move” that my wife and I made to move halfway across the country to be closer to our daughter. This was a HUGE change for us, as we had lived in our home in New Jersey for over 30 years! My mother had recently passed away, and our only daughter had moved to Missouri. It is my hope that this series will motivate you, as a highly sensitive person, to take on something that’s truly important to you. I tell the story sequentially in 23 posts, with each one numbered. It’s best to start at the beginning. You can access all the posts by clicking on the Cliff’s Big Move category in the sidebar.